Andrew Champagne

SARATOGA RACE COURSE: Analysis, Selections, and Bankroll (6/3/26)

Posted on by Andrew Champagne

BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $200

We’re back with the final Belmont week at Saratoga. For the new and/or uninitiated, a preview: I’ll have tickets for each day of racing and attempt to grow my initial $200 stake between now and the end of the day on Sunday. These plays, plus my picks and analysis, will be available in-print in The Pink Sheet and online at both AndrewChampagne.com and my Substack page, The Smart Money (with Twitter’s algorithm no longer giving my content much attention, subscribing to one of those feeds is the better play to ensure you see all of my content).

Another change this year is that, if you see my stuff online, you’ll see a link to tip me via Venmo below the bankroll section and above the selections and analysis. My content will always be free to access, but I got approached via the “contact me” function last month by a very generous longtime reader who suggested it (thanks again, Kristian).

Wednesday’s card is a good one, with a plethora of stakes races for New York-breds and some opportunities to take stands. Let’s dive in!

WEDNESDAY’S PLAY: I’ll focus on the third race and try to extract some value out of #3 AWESOME CZECH. I’ll key her in $15 exactas above #6 NATIONAL ARCHIVE and #7 MIDNIGHT CONCERTO, as well as in $5 “saver” exactas underneath those two runners.

TOTAL WAGERED: $40.

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SARATOGA SELECTIONS AND ANALYSIS

Best Bet: Awesome Czech, Race 3
Longshot: Olivia’s Grace, Race 6

R1

Little Trilby
Ziggle Pops
Jimmy P

#1 LITTLE TRILBY (2-1): Is a worthy favorite in the Grade 1 Beverly Steinman over fences after a runaway win in Grade 1 company last month. He’s won three of his last four, the lone loss coming when he fell in the Grade 1 Colonial Cup last November, and his best beats these; #8 ZIGGLE POPS (3-1): Makes his third start off a very long break and returns to Saratoga for the first time since the 2024 Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick, which he won by more than four lengths. Jack Fisher’s one of the best jump trainers in the game, and this one has tactical speed in a race without much of it signed on elsewhere; #5 JIMMY P (5-1): Is a different horse at the Spa, having won the last two renewals of the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard. His efforts elsewhere have been underwhelming, but upstate New York trips have woken him up in big ways in years past (SIDE NOTE: Brisnet past performances do not have complete racing data for the first six horses in this field. If you use those PP’s, you’ll want to check out other forms when handicapping steeplechase races so you don’t miss anything!).

R2

Irish Lullaby
Hot Currency
Galinda

#4 IRISH LULLABY (9/2): Ships in from Woodbine after graduating over the synthetic surface there and faces winners for the first time in the Bouwerie. I like that she’s shown an ability to close, given an abundance of early speed here. Flavien Prat hops on, and the recent workouts look sharp; #7 HOT CURRENCY (7/5): Took a big step forward off of a three-month break to take a race at this level downstate last time out. A repeat of that effort makes her a likely winner, and the outside draw helps, but that was a significant, possibly-unrepeatable move forward, and there’s other speed in here to keep her company; #5 GALINDA (3-1): Has won three of four and re-rallied to take an optional claimer against open company at this distance in April. She’s won without Lasix before and certainly loves this distance, which makes her a player even with a likely race shape that may not play to her strengths.

R3

Awesome Czech
Bam’s Bliss Kiss (MTO)
National Archive

#3 AWESOME CZECH (9/5): Looks formidable in the Mount Vernon, where she comes back to run against state-bred foes for the first time in a while. She’s 4-for-5 over this turf course, has plenty of tactical speed, and should sit an ideal trip against many foes she’s beaten in the past; #6 NATIONAL ARCHIVE (8-1): May have needed her 2026 debut off a break of nearly six months, where she was a one-paced third with a less-than-ideal trip. All three of her previous wins have come with Flavien Prat up, and he hops back aboard for the first time since her last score in September; #7 MIDNIGHT CONCERTO (8-1): Won the race my second choice exits, and she also goes second off the bench. She made a big middle move into a slow pace that day, but running without Lasix here and going over a track where she’s 0-for-4 are both question marks.

R4

Buttah (MTO)
Mi Bago
Spirit of St Louis

#6 MI BAGO (3-1): Looks like the main speed, which is always dangerous in two-turn races on the inner turf. He’s been running against open stakes company for most of his career, goes against state-breds in the Kingston, and is a legit wire-to-wire candidate; #7 SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS (5/2): Was one of the top turf horses in the country in early-2025 but hasn’t won in over a year. Anything close to his best likely thumps these, though, and ignore Chad Brown in a Saratoga turf race at your own peril; #2 GEORGE BRIGGS (2-1): Is the morning-line favorite here, but I have some doubts. He sat a picture-perfect stalking trip last time, and was able to run with Lasix that day. His efforts without Lasix are…fine, I suppose, but they don’t tower over this bunch. At his likely price, I’ll take a stand against him.

R5

Valtellina
Walk With Me
Bernietakescharge

#4 VALTELLINA (3-1): Comes off the bench in a pretty stacked renewal of the Critical Eye, but I like her a fair bit despite the six-month break. There’s a lot of early speed in here, and she’s shown she can pick up the pieces effectively at this level. If she’s ready, she’s got a big shot; #1 WALK WITH ME (7/2): Goes back to two turns for the first time in a while, and that’s always hit me as her preferred route. The rider switch to Prat is a big one, and while she’s not a true closer, she IS a grinder who should be moving the right way when the real running starts; #7 BERNIETAKESCHARGE (5/2): Is one of several with lots of early speed, and she comes back to the state-bred ranks after facing tougher downstate. If she can get back to her best form, which included a win in this very race a season ago, she could be the one they have to catch.

R6

Princess Wadadli (MTO)
Olivia’s Grace
Sacred Goddess

#7 OLIVIA’S GRACE (12-1): Is very intriguing at a price for several reasons. She got some very strange trips here a year ago and almost certainly needed her April return to the races (her first try since August). Her recent works are sharp, and if she’s ready to run, I think she could light up the tote board; #10 SACRED GODDESS (6-1): Probably had too much to do last time out in her 2026 unveiling and was wide that day. I’m expecting a step forward from a runner that’s knocked heads with some good ones; #1 DISCO STAR (5-1): Hasn’t won since 2024, but has made a career out of picking up checks in tough spots. I can’t back her on top given the “pack animal” tendencies she may have picked up, and the rail draw isn’t ideal, but she’s impossible to ignore underneath.

R7

Love Coin (MTO)
Willpowered
Homewood Hustle

#11 WILLPOWERED (7/2): Enjoyed a productive winter in Florida, where he ran well twice at Tampa. Those turf races are highly-competitive, and a return to the state-bred ranks is probably a drop in class. If Prat can find a way to save ground from a tricky post, he’ll be a major player; #7 HOMEWOOD HUSTLE (3-1): Looked great in his debut, where he stalked, pounced, and earned the diploma going away. I’m not sure what he beat that day, and this is definitely a step up, but this high-percentage barn doesn’t mess around and the addition of Lasix could move him forward; #8 SIX FORTYFIVE (10-1): Merits a look underneath at a price. He made a big move last time before flattening out and checking in third, and like my top pick, he ran well against open company several times earlier this year at Tampa.

R8

Bravaro
Sculcos Folly
Time to Roll

#9 BRAVARO (5/2): Comes back to state-bred competition after running in a trio of Kentucky Derby preps. He got some tough trips in a few of those races, and the outside draw in the Mike Lee hits me as a huge plus. If Irad Ortiz Jr. can keep him out of trouble, he’s strictly the one to beat; #1 SCULCOS FOLLY (3-1): Has won five of his last six, including a pair of one-turn stakes races at this level downstate. This field appears tougher than the ones he’s thumped of late, but he’s got a ton of early speed and should be able to utilize it from the inside draw; #8 TIME TO ROLL (9/2): Ran well to be second against open company in a pair of stakes races this spring and is another with early speed. Expect him to be prominent early beneath new jock Jose Ortiz, who replaces Jaime Rodriguez (who opted to ride my second choice).

R9

Bank Frenzy
Iron Dome
Drake’s Passage

#6 BANK FRENZY (7/2): Comes off the bench for the Commentator, a race he won last year. He loves going two turns at Saratoga, he’s run well fresh in the past, and he should get plenty of pace to chase. Put all of that together, and I think he’s a likely repeater; #7 IRON DOME (5/2): Ripped through three fields here last summer and showed genuine potential, but he hasn’t really moved forward since then. Perhaps the return to this surface moves him up, but he may need to go pretty quickly early, and I think he’ll be overbet; #8 DRAKE’S PASSAGE (5-1): Won this race in 2024 and hasn’t visited the winner’s circle since, but he had several nightmare trips a season ago and has been freshened up since last August. He’s run well here many times, he’s been working consistently since March, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he picks up a check.

R10

Royal Ascendshin
Rossbeigh
Bold Scholar

#16 ROYAL ASCENDSHIN (6-1): Needs quite a few scratches to draw in off the AE list, but I thought he ran very well in his debut. He closed at first asking in a race with very little early pace, and he finished a solid second for a barn whose first-time starters sometimes need a race to get going. If he runs in the nightcap, I’m expecting a step forward; #1 ROSSBEIGH (9/5): Is a logical favorite despite coming off a long break. He’s protected from being claimed here, which I always love to see, and anything close to his debut effort (where he nearly won) would make him a major player; #8 BOLD SCHOLAR (15-1): May be a big price but has several positives working in his favor. This barn can pop at a price with debuting turfers, and his pedigree is solid. His dam is out of a mare that won first time out, and that second dam is kin to a pair of stakes winners. Add in a few sharp drills, and perhaps he’s ready to run in the Wednesday finale.

Horse Racing Needed Golden Tempo. Now What?

Posted on by Andrew Champagne

Many years ago, my first bosses in turf writing, Joe and Sean Clancy, advised us Saratoga Special interns, “root for the story.” It’s a mantra that’s been in my head since Saturday afternoon, when Golden Tempo shot from last to first to win the 2026 Kentucky Derby.

In this case, the story pretty much writes itself. Golden Tempo is trained by Cherie DeVaux, making her the first female conditioner to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner. Jose Ortiz, wearing the famous black and red silks of Phipps Stable, was the winning jockey, and his winning move outkicked that of brother Irad and the highly-regarded Renegade (who nearly overcame a troubled trip from the rail draw).

For various reasons, horse racing Twitter erupted with a rare sentiment: Positivity. It wasn’t just Golden Tempo backers who were thrilled at the outcome. Fans of the sport got to witness something special, and even losing bettors (self included) couldn’t be upset seeing DeVaux celebrate with her family and friends as she worked her way to the Derby winner’s circle. That, in turn, led to something even more rare: I saw losing handicappers hat-tipping, with regularity, in the direction of the sharp bettors who endorsed a victor that paid $48.24 for a $2 win wager.

Even Mike Repole, the owner of the hard-luck runner-up, couldn’t be too upset. In a video put online by Sean Collins of Blood-Horse, he can be seen bear-hugging Irad Ortiz, Jr., and telling him, among other things, “that’s why you’re the best rider in the country.” Repole’s shtick can be hard to deal with sometimes, but in that moment, he felt…different. He didn’t feel like an outspoken “commissioner” butting heads with others. He felt like someone who, even in defeat, had been moved by what he saw.

Being a horse racing fan tends to be a lonely experience, and for good reason. As a pari-mutuel bettor, you’re putting your money into the pools against wagers from everyone else looking at the race. Tempers can run hot, especially on big days. Against all odds, when it came to the biggest race on the calendar, that didn’t happen. Instead of being something for people to scream at each other about, the Kentucky Derby served as a reminder of why most of us got into the game.

Let me be clear: Saturday at Churchill Downs wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Two races before the Derby, Japanese invader T O Ellis was greater than 10-1 as the field went into the gate for the Churchill Downs. Mid-race, he dropped all the way down to 5-1, and sure enough, the money proved smart. This was a reflection of a growing problem at racetracks across the country, one explained to the masses in a terrific article written by Yahoo’s Dan Wolken.

(Side note: I’ve been around the racing game long enough to say, with some confidence, that if some racing publications had written that piece, there would be significant repercussions for it. As I’m fond of saying, in horse racing, the problem is never the problem, it’s people talking about the problem.)

Horse racing has its issues, and they’ve been growing impossible to ignore. Horse racing Twitter, never an easy audience to fully satisfy in the best of times, has grown restless, and there are valid points to be made. We don’t breed as many horses, the ones we do breed don’t run as much, horse racing isn’t the only gambling game in town anymore, and activity by CAW groups is, for the most part, being met with a collective shrug from industry decision-makers (some of whom are actively benefiting from said activity on a race-by-race basis). Because of this, the day-to-day product has, at times, suffered, and from an outsider’s perspective, it sure doesn’t seem like much is being done to fix issues affecting every aspect of the industry.

Despite all this, though, there we all were Saturday afternoon, watching Cherie DeVaux be engulfed by family and friends after Golden Tempo completed his circling of the 2026 Kentucky Derby field. I said it at the time and I still mean it: I don’t think horse racing Twitter was ever more positive than after that race. It was a beautiful thing to witness, and it’s a reminder of both what we’re capable of as people and what this game is capable of bringing out of us.

The question is, how do we take what we saw Saturday and use it for the benefit of the industry? At a time where the sport has seemed to actively seek out negative momentum, there’s potential for forward movement. Let’s capitalize on it. Let’s remember what this game can do and how capable we are of being decent to one another.

Golden Tempo winning the roses didn’t fix everything. Acting like it did is naive, at best. However, to paraphrase a quote from one of my fictional spirit animals, Toby Zeigler from “The West Wing,” in a battle between our game’s demons and our better angels, for the first time in a long while, I think we just might have ourselves a fair fight.

You know, provided we don’t blow it.

2026 Kentucky Derby Selections and Spot Plays

Posted on by Andrew Champagne

It’s Kentucky Derby Day, and I’ve got free Kentucky Derby selections and spot plays for Saturday’s card at Churchill Downs.

Yes, the Derby is its own beast, but with 13 other races on tap, there are plenty of opportunities to take stands and cash tickets. That’s what we’ll attempt to do here, and with so much to go through, I won’t waste any more of your time. Let’s get to it!

Race #2: #8 Taptastic (3-1 ML)

He won’t be much of a price, but I like this Steve Asmussen trainee quite a bit. After breaking his maiden in the mud at Oaklawn, he got thrown into the deep end in the Arkansas Derby and didn’t disgrace himself. He was third that day (behind Renegade and Silent Tactic), and it wouldn’t have been too shocking to see him show up in a race like the Pat Day Mile (more on that one later).

Instead, he shows up in a first-level allowance, where he’ll be able to run with Lasix again. He also gets the riding services of Irad Ortiz, Jr., which is a significant move up, and his local works have been just fine. I think he’s very much the one to beat, and while I think we’re more likely to get 3/2 than his 3-1 morning line, he hits me as a single in any of your early multi-race exotics wagers.

Race #6 (Knicks Go): #9 Scotland (20-1 ML)

This was a price I profiled in my recent piece for ABR, and this race revolves around #2 Dragoon Guard. On one hand, it feels like he’s the main speed, and he’s run speed figures in the past that would put him on top fairly easily. On the other, he’s won just one of his last seven starts, lost to several of these runners in those races, and hits me as difficult to trust.

For that reason, I’ll take a shot with Scotland, who likely needed his 2026 debut after a four-month layoff. He ran several sharp races a season ago, when he earned some big checks (including a fairly-close second to Book ‘em Danno in the Forego at Saratoga). He’s shown he’s got the ability to win a race like this; the question is, can he get back to that mid-2025 form?

It’s not a small question to answer, for sure. If he’s just not that kind of horse anymore, that’ll be apparent. However, I’d much rather take that kind of flyer than back a short pice that’s difficult to trust. Here’s hoping this Bill Mott trainee is ready to go second off the bench.

Race #8 (G2 Pat Day Mile): #1 Englishman (3-1 ML)

If you watched this week’s “Drank’n Champagne,” this is no secret (and if you haven’t watched it yet, it’s right there below the introduction!). I think the Pat Day Mile may have the best 3-year-old male on the grounds, and that includes the runners set to go postward in Saturday’s main event.

Englishman was a runaway winner of his debut in September over this Churchill surface. Something clearly went wrong, because we didn’t see him in the afternoon for six months. He came back at Fair Grounds and couldn’t have been much more impressive, coasting home to win by a New Orleans city block and affirming his potential.

His connections had every right to try to rush him to a Kentucky Derby prep. They didn’t do that. This race has been the goal all along, and he’s been working lights-out ahead of this event. I know Bob Baffert trainee #6 Crude Velocity has potential, but I think Englishman is a freak in the making. If he’s anywhere close to the 3-1 morning line price, I’ll be thrilled.

Race #9 (G1 American Turf): #4 Stark Contrast (4-1 ML)

I give the connections of Stark Contrast credit. A few years ago, this owner/trainer tandem had Endlessly, a promising turf/synthetic runner who had never run on dirt. They ran him in the Kentucky Derby, and he hasn’t won since. This year, Stark Contrast had enough points to make the field, but was re-routed here, and while the odds board says it’s a wide-open event, he’s a “lone A” for me.

Simply put, Stark Contrast just hasn’t done much wrong. He’s 3-for-4 on turf, with his lone loss being a second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf behind much-the-best winner Gstaad. Last time out, he was second to a nice horse again in the Jeff Ruby, where he made a middle move and got outkicked by Fulleffort.

This is absolutely what he wants to do, and the slight cutback in distance should be welcome news. Furthermore, the two others that hit me as interesting, #12 Remember Mamba and #14 Final Score, drew terrible, far-outside posts. Stark Contrast has a lot to like here, and I think the morning line price would represent a significant overlay.

Race #12 (G1 Kentucky Derby): #9 The Puma (10-1 ML) and #14 Potente (20-1 ML)

We may not get the 10-1 morning line price on The Puma, but even if he’s in the neighborhood of 7-1, I don’t think that’s a bad bet. He’s gotten significantly better with distance and experience, and he may still present some value compared to #6 Commandment (who nosed him in the Florida Derby) and #18 Further Ado (who he beat in the Tampa Bay Derby). His pedigree says 10 furlongs is well within his scope, and I think he’s ready to fire a big shot.

Potente, meanwhile, hasn’t run huge figures in California, but this Bob Baffert trainee hits me as live. It feels like Baffert was trying to figure something out in the Santa Anita Derby, where Potente dueled for the lead through solid fractions before fading to second. I think his preferred trip is of the “stalk and pounce” variety, and he should get several targets to run at early. His recent five-furlong drill at Churchill was fantastic, and when a Baffert horse works like that, it’s often a clue the Hall of Famer has one ready to go.

2026 Kentucky Oaks Day Selections and Spot Plays

Posted on by Andrew Champagne

Friday is Oaks Day at Churchill Downs, and I come bearing free Kentucky Oaks selections and spot plays.

To be honest, I miss doing this more often, and I’m excited about racing going back to Saratoga in five weeks so I can produce the content so many people know me for/expect out of me. Alas, between my full-time job, a bunch of stuff happening in my personal life that keeps me busy, and the usual things that pop up for everybody from time to time, it’s been a while.

Let’s see if we can pick a few winners and make a few bucks on Kentucky Oaks day. Here are the horses my day will go through…

Race #2: #3 Chopsticks (9/2 ML)

I’ll start off by saying that I highly, highly doubt we’ll get the morning line price on this returning 3-year-old filly. Brad Cox trains, Irad Ortiz Jr. sees fit to ride, and she’s been working very, very well ahead of her first start since October. However, I think she’s very much the horse to beat in the second race of the program, and I’d still bet this horse at the 3-1 price I think she’ll go off at.

Chopsticks started off her career in impressive fashion. She won at first asking here at Churchill Downs, and she then added the Debutante at Ellis Park. She then tried Grade 1 company in the Frizette, but she didn’t fire, at all, whatsoever, and it’s clear something went wrong because we haven’t seen her since.

A steady string of workouts in Florida has me optimistic, and the rider switch to Ortiz is a big one. She does face older company here, which is the one thing I’m not crazy about, but it doesn’t seem like a terribly strong field for the level. 3-1 morning line favorite Five a Side ran one big race two back at Turfway, but hasn’t replicated that form on dirt, and many other opponents have been at this level for quite a while.

Race #7 (Unbridled Sidney): #5 Queen Maxima (7/2 ML) and #4 Creed’s Gold (20-1 ML)

One of the strongest opinions I have this week isn’t a play, but a “play against,” and that’s #6 Shisospicy. Perhaps she’s the same horse she was last year, but I have some doubts. She’s been away six months, comes back for a barn that’s cooled off significantly from a red-hot 2025 campaign, and may be compromised by several other speed horses directly to her outside. If she beats me, I’ll tip my cap and move on, but this hits me as an ideal spot to take a swing.

I much prefer Queen Maxima, whose race last time out was over before it started. She was an impressive winner of this race last year, so we know her form travels to Churchill Downs, and her best is absolutely good enough to make it two scores in a row in this event.

I’m also going to use Creed’s Gold, one of four horses I profiled in a piece for ABR earlier this week. She’s run well twice this year, has shipped well to a variety of tracks, and she should get a pace to run at beneath new jockey Flavien Prat.

Race #11 (La Troienne): #9 Fully Subscribed (7/2 ML)

My best bet of the entire Kentucky Oaks card is this Chad Brown trainee, who’s been working up a storm in Florida. Fully Subscribed won back-to-back graded stakes races at Aqueduct by open lengths late last year before going to the sidelines, and she hits me as a significant candidate to improve from age three to age four.

Fully Subscribed hasn’t run a bad one to this point in her career, and with the work tab what it is, I don’t think she does that for the first time on Friday. Furthermore, for a Grade 1, this race just doesn’t appear very strong. If Fully Subscribed is ready to run (and I think she is), I think she’s strictly the one to beat.

Race #13 (Kentucky Oaks): #11 Percy’s Bar (6-1 ML) and #9 Always a Runner (10-1 ML)

We’ll finish things up with the Kentucky Oaks, and I’ll be riding with a pair of “A horses.” I’ve liked Percy’s Bar ever since she won the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland. From where I sit, #2 Zany ran her race that day, and Percy’s Bar blew her off her feet. Furthermore, she came out of that race with an outstanding workout at Keeneland, so I’m not anticipating a “bounce” or any sort of regression. It feels like she’s improved considerably from age two to age three, and even though she may not be favored, I think she’s the horse to beat.

The other horse that intrigues me is another price I shouted out on ABR. Always a Runner has only run twice, but the more I look, the more I like her. She didn’t have much pace to run at last time in the Grade 3 Gazelle, but she came and got a loose-on-the-lead winner. This spot will almost certainly have significantly more pace signed on, and that, combined with her potential to improve in just her third lifetime start, makes her dangerous.

An Airing Of Horse Racing Grievances

Posted on by Andrew Champagne

This week, for the first time in a while, I talked about the health of horse racing and didn’t like what I saw or how I felt after I did it.

In fact, it happened twice, and I’m not sure what to do about it.

Unfortunately, the state this game is in right now isn’t a good one. Cards in the northeast are being cancelled left, right, and center due to weather (in some instances, weather they’d have run in in the past). Woodbine’s closing day program was abandoned midway through the card, with doubts raised over mandatory-payout wagers. Hastings Park in Canada, meanwhile, announced its immediate cessation of racing after British Columbia decided to stop subsidizing racing with slot revenue, and on a related note, The Stronach Group is gearing up for the second round of a fight to decouple horse racing and slots in Florida.

I’d love to be optimistic, but given the circumstances, it’s hard to find silver linings. Because of that, this was the podcast that resulted over on the On the Wrong Lead network…

I don’t like being negative. In fact, I pride myself on being a realist whose content generally ticks people on both sides of any issue off in equal measure. I’ve found that’s a good doctrine of fairness.

(Writer’s note: There are also the people who get ticked off at my mere existence, and that’s a separate issue. I enjoy pushing the buttons of those people because, hate me or love me, you engage with my content and that’s all one can do.)

(Editor’s addition: Remember, boys and girls, that the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.)

(Writer’s addition to the addition: Some folks never learned that lesson, and it shows.)

I don’t want to see horse racing decline, wither, and die. I want to see it thrive, and I’ve actively spent time and energy figuring out ways the industry can do this. Everything I have, I owe to this game and a few people in it who cracked the door open for me, allowed me to do a lot, and gave me the chance to build my career.

Very little of what’s happening now, though, inspires confidence. In addition to the track-related factors above, bettors will soon be taxed on some of their losses, which will undoubtedly chase away some of the sport’s highest-handle players. Many within the gambling industry are lobbying to change this after harsh initial outcry, but that will take significant bipartisan cooperation on at least one piece of legislation within the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate (two chambers…not exactly known for working well together of late).

The annual racing symposium at the University of Arizona, meanwhile, had some real head-scratchers. Craig Milkowski has been a friend of mine for more than 20 years, ever since I was posting to the PaceAdvantage board as an underage player. I love him, but I’d like nothing more than a world where the symposium doesn’t have to do a panel on timing races, one where tracks can start and stop watches at appropriate times (you know, the way every other serious sport in the world does). The CAW panel was what it was. Panels on attracting sports betting crossover had the same empty verbiage we’ve seen for years on end. Everyone seems to agree some sort of change is necessary, but beyond that, the stakeholders involved don’t seem to agree on anything else.

I really want to be positive about this game, the one that, at its best, is the best gambling game around. With all of that taken into account, though…wouldn’t that be delusional?

The show went live earlier this week. On Thursday, another piece of news broke involving Saratoga. That track will host a total of 51 racing days in 2026, between the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, several extra days in early-July, and the 40 days we’ve come to expect at the Spa.

I feel like it’s too much. I tweeted as such (along with a few things designed to push buttons of the “ticked off at my mere existence” people, and BOY, did that work!), and it sparked a lot of conversation. It’s true that 2026 is the last summer before the opening of the new, renovated Belmont Park, which is set to open its doors in September. Having said that, Saratoga has seen days creep up from 24, to 30, to 36, to 40, and now all the way to 51. What was once “the August place to be,” I’d argue, won’t even qualify as a boutique meet next year.

Last year’s calendar was similar, and the effects were far-reaching. Sovereignty won the Travers, we rolled into the week leading up to Labor Day, and all of a sudden, the track looked and felt dead. What came through my television screen wasn’t just a lower-key atmosphere, but one where people looked like zombies because the energy seemed to be flat-out gone. Everything that doesn’t happen often has a saturation point where, once you pass it, it’s not as special anymore. Saratoga found it last year, and it feels like we’re set to pass it again in 2026.

With that, we come back to what I outlined at the start of this article. I wouldn’t be what I am today, professionally or personally, without this game and the opportunities it’s given me. I don’t want to be seen as overly-negative. I don’t want to feel badly about what’s going on in the sport, and I want to be in a position to celebrate the good in it.

However, let’s be honest with ourselves: There just isn’t much positivity to celebrate right now. I don’t know what any of us can do other than call a spade a spade and keep hoping the ship gets righted…but what confidence do we have that those in power can and will make the correct calls to do so?

I’m asking. I wish I had the ability to answer these questions. I don’t, and it bothers me.